New Delhi, India, December 24, 2021: Indian fencer Bhavani Devi has been named Athlete of the Year by the influential GoSports Foundation.
The 28-year-old sabre specialist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, became the first fencer from India to qualify for the Olympic Games when she earned a place at Tokyo 2020 and reached the round of 32. This achievement catapulted her to national recognition and resulted in a string of awards.
This Athlete of the Year title from the GoSports Foundation - a non-profit venture working towards the development of some of India’s top talents - is the latest of these awards.
“I would like to thank GoSports Foundation for this wonderful recognition by honouring me with the Athlete of the Year award,” she said in a video posted on Facebook.
“Thank you GoSports for your continuous support and encouragement.”
Bhavani Devi is one of the athletes on the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme of the GoSports Foundation, named after the legendary Indian cricketer and former captain.
The Rahul Dravid programme seeks to identify elite athletes across Olympic sports who have the potential to be catalysts of change for Indian sport.